Overview

The RS6 Avant is one of Audi’s halo model lines and for years it’s been following the same simple formula. It’s a large estate car that’s been pumped up with steroids and turned into a snarling performance monster.

The end result is a car that can seemingly do it all. It’s a practical family car. It’s a supercar-baiting performance car. It’s an excellent long-distance cruiser. And it looks as dramatic as any sports car out there. What’s not to like?

Audi hasn’t messed with a tried and tested formula here, so the latest RS6 Avant still has a powerful petrol engine up front driving all four wheels. This is a combination that’s previously resulted in great speed without a great deal of excitement – so recent updates have focused on making the Audi RS6 a more dynamic car to drive.

After all, it doesn’t have the market to itself. The RS6 Avant’s biggest rival is a fellow German – the Mercedes-AMG E 63 Estate nips right at its heels for the share of the market. Even BMW’s getting in on the action, with the new M3 Touring being a size class down from the large Audi but a performance thoroughbred nonetheless.

And with many of the latest crop of electric SUVs offering just as much acceleration and practicality as the RS6 Avant – but without the sky-high running costs – the Audi has to do something special.

Audi’s simplified the RS6 lineup in recent months and now offers it exclusively as the RS6 Performance, in a choice of three trim levels. All of them share the same 4.0-litre V8 engine pumping out an astonishing 630hp and 850Nm of torque – and as a result they’ll all do 0-62mph in just 3.4 seconds before going on to a top speed that’s electronically limited to a breezy 174mph.

The unnamed base trim still gets all of the equipment you’d hope for on a premium performance car – electric seats, Audi’s latest digital cockpit with no fewer than three LCD screens, Matrix LED headlights and vast, 22-inch alloy wheels. The mid-spec Carbon Black package is mainly a visual upgrade, swapping out silver hardware on the exterior for black, while the top-spec Vorsprung model gets a load of extra safety and comfort features, a panoramic sunroof, and a more sophisticated suspension setup.

The absolute minimum you’ll pay for an RS6 Avant is in excess of £110,000 – which means you could pick up a Parkers award-winning family SUV and a sports car and still have change. But is the Audi RS6 worth the cash?

Over the next few pages, we’ll be thoroughly reviewing all aspects of the Audi RS6 Avant and rating them in our verdict. Along the way, we’ll consider the car’s driving experience, the quality and comfort of its interior, the level of practicality available and how much it’ll cost you to keep it on the road.